Mecklenburg County, Virginia

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg, the county's namesake

Mecklenburg County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,319.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Boydton.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Mecklenburg County was organized on March 1, 1765, having split from Lunenburg County in 1764 as the result of the passage of an act by the Virginia General Assembly. Due to new settlement and population increases in the area, the legislature divided Lunenburg into three counties: Lunenburg, Charlotte, and Mecklenburg.<ref name="Bracey, S. 1977">Bracey, S. (1977). Life by the Roaring Roanoke, Whittet and Shepperson.</ref> It was named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> a British queen of German origin.

The first county government consisted of 13 members: Robert Munford, Richard Witton, John Speed, Henry Delony, Edmund Taylor, Benjamin Baird, John Camp, Thomas Erskine, John Potter, John Cox, Thomas Anderson, John Speed, Jr., and Samuel Hopkins, with Benjamin Baird acting as the first mayor.<ref name="Bracey, S. 1977"/>

Government

Mecklenburg County is governed by a nine-member Board of Supervisors, each elected from a single-member district. They serve as the county's legislative and policy body, enacting laws, ordinances, and taxes. They appoint a county administrator to conduct day-to-day operations. H. Wayne Carter, III is the current county administrator and Judy P. Sheffield is the current assistant county administrator.

The board members are:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

District 1 - Andy R. Hargrove
District 2 - Glanzy M. Spain, Jr.―Vice Chairman
District 3 - Tom Tanner
District 4 - Claudia H. Lundy
District 5 - Glenn E. Barbour—Chairman
District 6 - Sterling Wilkinson
District 7 - James D. Jennings
District 8 - David A. Brankley
District 9 - Charles Jones

Constitutional officers

Mecklenburg County operates under what is commonly referred as the "traditional form" of county government under the Virginia Constitution, under which voters elect five countywide "constitutional officers":

Clerk of Circuit Court - Michelle Gordon
Commonwealth's Attorney - Allen Nash
Commissioner of Revenue - Lisa Carlton Wagstaff
Treasurer - Marsha Coleman Seamans
Sheriff - Robert (Bobby) Hawkins

County departments and department heads

Listed below are the County facilities, the department housed in that facility and its head.

Goode Bank Building
- Board of Supervisors (See Supervisor's List Above)
- County Administrator's Office- H. Wayne Carter, III (Administrator)
- Economic Development Director's Office- Angela D. Kellett (Director)
- Tourism Office- Jacob P. Bower (Coordinator)
- Building Inspector's Office- Eddie Harris (Chief Inspector)
- Zoning Administrator's Office- Robert L. Hendrick (Zoning Administrator)
- Animal Warden's Office- Doug Blanton (Animal Warden)
- Information Technology Department (IT) - Alex Wells (IT Specialist)
Courthouse
- Circuit Court-Leslie M. Osborn (Judge)
- Circuit Court Clerk's Office- Michelle Gordon (Clerk)
- Commonwealth Attorney's Office- J. Miller (Commonwealth's Attorney)
Mark I. Burnett Building
- Commissioner of Revenue's Office- Lisa Carlton Wagstaff (Commissioner)
  - Real Estate Department- Jo Harrell McLellan (Chief Deputy Commissioner/Real Estate Assessor)
  - Personal Property Department- Violet Puryear(Chief Deputy Commissioner)
- Treasurer's Office- Marsha Coleman Seamans(Treasurer)
- VPI Extension Office- C. Taylor Clarke (Unit Coordinator/ANR Extension Agent)
Hudgins Court Facility
- Social Services- Sandra S. Gregory (Director)
- General District Court- Charles Warren (Judge)
  - General District Clerk's Office- Tammy T. Taylor (Clerk)
- Juvenile & Domestic Court- M. Rand (Judge), S. Anderson Nelson (Judge)
  - J&D Court Clerk's Office- Rebecca D. Inge (Clerk)
  - J&D Court Service Unit
- Sheriff's Office- R.W. (Bobby) Hawkins (Sheriff)
911 Center
- 911 Emergency Communications Office and Dispatch- Ben Duncan (Director)
Jail
- Jail Division of the Sheriff's Office- Roosevelt Terry (Jail Captain)
Post Office Building
- Piedmont Court Services- Jackie T. Boxley (Director)
White Building
- Voter Registrar- Jason Corwin (General Registrar)

Politics

Education

The county's education department is the Mecklenburg County Public Schools. It is managed by the Board of Education. Scott Worner is the County Schools Superintendent.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (7.9%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

Lunenburg County - north
Brunswick County - east
Warren County, North Carolina - southeast
Vance County, North Carolina - south
Granville County, North Carolina - southwest
Halifax County - west
Charlotte County - northwest

Major highways

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

**Mecklenburg County, Virginia – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	19,215	17,864	58.71%	58.92%
Black or African American alone (NH)	11,958	10,364	36.54%	34.18%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	73	73	0.22%	0.24%
Asian alone (NH)	213	205	0.65%	0.68%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	10	0	0.03%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	22	110	0.07%	0.36%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	430	882	1.31%	2.91%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	806	821	2.46%	2.71%
Total	32,727	30,319	100.00%	100.00%

2010 Census

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 32,727 people, 12,951 households, and 8,962 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 17,403 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 59.24% White, 39.08% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 1.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,951 households, out of which 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.60% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,380, and the median income for a family was $37,752. Males had a median income of $26,852 versus $19,609 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,171. About 11.60% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.60% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

References

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External links

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